Just A Simple Joyride
by ShiniSurprise
Summary: Jim and Doppler are bored. So, when Captain Amelia retires for the night, leaving her ship unsupervised, both of them decide to take it for a joyride


One lovely evening at the Montressour spaceport, the R.L.S. Legacy was docked, unattended to, in all its glory, stainless and polished from top to bottom, nose to tail. Flawless. One of the finest vessels in the galaxy, the Legacy was unrivaled when it came to speed, endurance, and smooth sailing. Many passing people would stop to stare in wonder and awe at the ship, wishing they could only attend one small ride on it. The Legacy was a proud and fierce piece of work, as was its Captain.

Currently, at the Benbow Inn, Amelia took a sip of her tea, perched in a chair beside the lovely Dr. Delbert Doppler, and on the other side of him sat James Hawkins, commonly known to the people as Jim. The boy, now eighteen years of age, stared into his empty mug previously drained of coffee - bored out of his mind. His mother, Sarah Hawkins was tending to other tables, taking orders and delivering drinks. The three at the table all sat in a long, but comforting silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Amelia thinking about plans for upcoming voyages, Delbert about new projects to begin working on, and Jim about ways to upgrade his solar surfer.

"Well," It was Amelia's voice that eventually broke the silence as she stood up, adjusting her coat and nodding to the both of them, "I suppose I'll be off to bed now. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. Delbert, darling, I'll see my own ride home so that you'll have Delilah whenever you're ready. Goodnight." With a smile, the felid pushed in her chair, and headed off toward the door, nodding farewell to Sarah before disappearing.

"Man, I thought she'd _never _leave." Jim sighed. Delbert shot him a quick look that was on the borderline of a glare, "You have something against my wife?" He asked. Jim merely laughed and shook his head, "You know I don't. I'm just bored as hell, and with her out of the way, I can finally tell you what I have in store." He dropped his voice to a low whisper and beckoned the astrophysicist to lean in so that no one else could hear him. Curious, Delbert did so, and Jim continued, "How 'bout we sneak onto the Legacy and take it for a spin? A quick joyride around the planet."

Eyebrows shooting up, Delbert sat up straight and fixed the boy with a stern look, "Absolutely not. You know what Amelia would say if she found out. We are not stealing her property for our own entertainment." He replied firmly. "Ah, c'mon, Doc! The Captain will be sleeping the entire time! Look, we'll just go for one quick lap around the planet, then we'll dock the boat back at the spaceport safe and sound before dawn. Nobody'll notice!" Jim grinned at him, "Besides, you know you like the feeling of taking the helm and playing the boss for a bit."

Delbert opened his mouth to shoot back a reply, but he paused to think about it. "Hmm… Well, I did quite enjoy steering the ship the last time." Last time, being when they were in a race against time in effort to escape an artificial planet that was rigged to explode. "Yeah?" Jim nodded. "And," Delbert continued, "I do need to improve my navigation skills… But how would we even get to the spaceport anyway?" He asked shyly. Jim gave a dead-panned expression, "Hello? Star cruiser? Duh?"

Star cruisers were basically small space canoes built for short-distanced trips. Montressour had a large shack with many cruisers that travelers often rented to get from the docks of the planet to the spaceport. "But the shack is closed." Delbert pointed out. "I got it covered," Jim grinned, "A buddy of mine works night patrol. I called him earlier and told him we had to run a few errands at the port this evening. He's got two cruisers reserved and ready for us when we get there."

Delbert's eyes widened in genuine shock, then narrowed, "Oh, so you were just assuming from the start that I'd go along with your little ridiculous plan?" He scoffed. Jim offered an innocent smile, "Well…yeah, pretty much." The canine crossed his arms, looking displeased with his chin thrust out in a rather child-like manner - an expression almost equivalent to pouting. "Oh, come on, Doc. I know you can't resist this. Think of the thrill, the excitement! What could possibly go wrong?" Jim said eagerly.

"Uh, how about _everything_?" The astronomer exclaimed. The teenager sighed and shook his head, "Look, Doc, you're overreacting. It's not that big of a deal. We'll just take the ship around the planet, and we'll be back at the spaceport in a few minutes. Then, when we look back on this, we'll have a great time laughing about how fun it was, and you won't have to spend your years in regret, bent on what it _could've_ felt like." Delbert stared at Jim long and hard as his thoughts rambled over all of the pros and cons.

Pros: It would be fun. It would be a LOT of fun. Exciting, breath-taking, the feeling of being in control and sailing the etherium without commands.

Cons: Amelia could find out. She would be pissed, SO pissed. She could tower over the both of them and burst their eardrums in a screaming fit of rage…

"You know what, maybe I _am _overreacting." The canine finally said, looking back at Jim, "You're right, this could be an amazing way to end our night with a bang. We haven't enjoyed a good thrill ride in quite a while." He smiled. At this, Jim's eyes widened and a grin crossed his face as he pumped a fist in the air, "Yeah! That's the spirit doc!" Delebert gave a laugh and clapped the boy on the shoulder.

"Then it's settled! We'll head out after one more drink. Sailing the Legacy without the Captain will be a peace of cake. Besides, it's just as you said: What could possibly go wrong?"

**A/N: Oh, more than you think, Doc. So much more than you think. Hehehe, so my friends, what do you think will happen when Jim and Delbert take the R.L.S. Legacy on a simple joyride without Amelia's permission? Will she wake up in the middle of the night and notice that her husband's still not home? Will she find out? Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see, eh? ;D**


End file.
